I can understand this, but I disagree that the power ministers job is to make sure we end up with 20 million power. If we're dropping like a rock, something needs to be done, but spending what we've earned, even if it's not sustainable indefinitely, doesn't seem like a huge issue to me. One vernal (i.e. the "please go inactive" badge) costs us more than discretionaries ever have, and we had no real issues raising those.

I think it should be expected that defenders should be given a level of privledges above that don't. It's all about high risk/high reward and goes back to that maxim. Besides, if you expect people to come to your rescue when you're in trouble, you should do the same in return. While I'm not saying that everyone has to contribute to their org through defense. I will say that other than that, I don't see most Seren's doing anything outside of sitting at the Tree doing silly things. Lendren, as far as I can see, is the Seren's top culture contributor. I hardly see any Seren's (outside of newbies) doing commodity quests, and I always see the same two Seren's influencing denizens in villages to contribute to the Religious path that Seren has.

Point is, most Serenwilders don't actively do anything for the org at all except take advantage of it (and complain). That's my view from a glance at least, I could very well be wrong.

If chosen properly, Vernals don't just last a RL hour >.> they last...a day? >__>

Edit: I'm not really serious - they've lasted a good while.

About the Ellindel Tree:

We discussed it. We debated it. We brought to the guilds and let them debate it, and they voted on it. The decision was overwhelming. Get over it.

Yes, Nienla, you are wrong. I see several people influencing the villages, doing commodities quests, bringing in essence, pixies, etc. Lendren, Sadie, and others do a great job helping the commune, but they're not the only ones.

The problem with defence is not really the people that don't want to do it, it is the fact the enemy risks nothing and can just keep coming at you, keeping your defenders from other things they might be enjoying. And yes people that purely defend rarely enjoy doing it 100%

And for those that now go but the essence/xp loss, the loss the horror! With the easy methods of xp gain like influencing and aetherhunting there is absolutely no detterent. If you really want to make -defending- meaningfull and not an uphill battle, make it so raiders get punished a lot more severly for dying a second time in X time in an org's territory. And by severely I mean something that takes more then sitting afk on an aethership to regain. Or alternitavely force a timeout on them.

Wrong.

The essence loss is a huge deterrent nowadays. It has taken me an entire day and a half influencing to recover the losses from dying in Nil. While you're right in that aetherbashing isn't as long, that's still two hours to make up for that loss. Not to mention, getting a successful ahunt together is like herding sheep since people AFK and don't really contribute when they're needed. (I.E. Slivvening, Siphoning, etc.)

Haha, dying a second time. Dying a FIRST time happens rarely enough.

PS: 2 mil is a deterrent. It's not anywhere near as easy to recover.

Well. You can always pull a Ceren and buff up Treant for Serenwilde.

I see a ton of younger Glom's contributing and actively wanting to become better at defense/raids. Maybe Serenwilde just lacks a leader figure, but I'm pretty sure one of you could step up to lead them. I personally think Eamon has the potential, but who knows.

Squee but no, he always disagrees when I say that.

Well, it's true. Out of all the Serenwilder's I talk to, he has the best attitude and looks at the raids as a learning oppurtunity. He's the only Serenwilder that hasn't jumped on the Decap train, and uses poisons BESIDES morphite (especially on a Dreamweaver). He's developed his own system, and he's one of the few Seren's that will actually bother to chase me outside of Serenwilde or into Faethorn by his lonesome. While this may not seem like much, it's a lot more than most Seren's do and why I think he has the potential to really lead Serenwilde out of the slumber they're in. Plus, if he disagrees, it means he's humble (which is another good sign, unlike Shuyin who likes to do his Captain Morgan pose and shine like a bronze god).

It is all fun to try and become better when your org is top dog. It is entirely different when learning to defend means whatever you do is not going to matter because the other org is not going to back off.

You have to influence guards for half a day sure that is tough right, I mean it is not as simple as letting a script run while chatting away, reading a book or watching tv. 2 hours of ahunting so intense I mean it is not like most people just let a script run while afking. Heck some pilots even encourage afking on ships.

you know what would be an excellent detterent for raiders to keep coming back, the second death costs you a level, if you are an ascendant it costs your org 200k power unless you are powerblock then it costs you ascendence. Then when defenders win you won't be just calling in the demisquad to beat them down.

(ps the suggesting is not serious)

Now I'm gonna be randomly giggling at that mental image all day and my coworkers will think I'm crazy again. Thanks, Nienla!

What. When I played Imperian, one of the inspirations for me to get better at combat was because I was getting jumped by random Antiochans, Magickers, and so forth everytime I left Stavenn (the org that is hated by everyone, sounds familiar). In fact, that was the SOLE inspiration. Nothing made me feel better than when I pulled off a vivisect on individuals like Sani and Dias who made it a habit to jump non-com's whenever the oppurtunity presented itself.

Edit: And unlike here, Imperian has nothing like the Avenger system, so they could keep attacking me repeatedly.

Edit2: Besides, I've seen and heard Seren get their kicks when I die.

Aren't you satisfied when an annoying itch goes away? Doesn't mean you wanted the itch in the first place.

Yes, yes! I love Eamon. (Although I do chase you outside into Serenwilde too sometimes and it generally turns into tag. And I still remember that last fight we had in Faethorn which we went at for maybe half an hour before I got bored and left? >_> Waste of power there)

(Or maybe it's because some in Serenwilde are actively attempting to get better and feel accomplished when they achieve something)

The Serenwilde today is better than when I first started raiding them. You're a lot more organized, fluid, and don't rely as heavily on moonbeam/flow to track to someone. A little over eager on the shrine effects maybe, but still a lot better than when I first started raiding it.

(In fact, I'd go as far to say that you respond better than Magnagora does)

Yeah, there was a week there where I finally started to win the debate-jumpings from Kelysa and Asmodea, and I proceeded to strut around Faethorn like a total badass, binding mah faez and nomming on honeycakes. And then Lehki was like, oh good, you can debate now - here, try my meld. And the, "What do you want, I'm a dick" remark. Ah, newbiehood. These wounds will never heal.

I wish that we could return to this, where Faethorn is basically a peaceful area, and we settle disputes over the fae by debating, city people are not invited, and we actually had the opportunity for Seren/Glom rp there from time to time. I realize that sounds like an idealized version, but that was how I considered Faethorn as a new player. I think the main reason we can't, and one reason why I also think that Serenwilde is still better off than Glomdoring was when I started, is because unlike Glomdoring-then, Serenwilde still fields combatants in Faethorn. At this time, we didn't. On the more rare occasions that I would die in Faethorn, my guild would be like, "Ah, but at least you conglutinated, you must take Mother Night's blessings as she deigns to give them." You still have Solanis, Lehki, Ryboi, Tandrin, Hadrian, etc. and more recently Haidan and Veyrzhul who are willing to defend when a lone assailant starts picking on lowbies in Faethorn. It may not seem like a lot, especially when "the zerg" shows up, but it's certainly something. For the lowbie, it's, "My org cares enough about little me to run screaming to my defense," and that's certainly a lot.


We hate this guy. Lately he is the number one reason why people will stop what they are doing and pile into Faethorn/Etherwilde - for the chance to kill Veyrzhul. We think of him as we did Tedd, a topic that is already covered in this thread. He is your Daedalion... a combatant that you need, yes, but one who will invariably deliver more fighting to your doorstep than he ever staves off. For us, getting rid of people like this was part of the solution. I'm not making the same suggestion to you, as he'll likely just be back in Celest in a few weeks anyway, but uh, don't put your eggs in his basket, is all I'm saying.

A lot of this is pretty QFT, fellas. Though I'd add that aurawarp from a noncom healer is a lot more potent when combined with Wane Spam ™. Resurgem covens are pretty awesome, but you only need 3-5 (can't remember) people for that, and the rest can go sortie. Mnemosyne's absurdly high rezzing stats should testify that all you really need is her (or a moondancer) and 4 newbies/noncoms/etc while the rest can go fight.

I admit, I gave a wry smile RL when you guys even somehow managed to bring up choke in this whopper of a thread, warmed my heart. A fair point nonetheless.

Incidentally, the 2 mil a death loss on raids are great deterrents. You know what'd make the best deterrent? deleting divinefire

AuraWarp and Wane Spam has indeed killed me twice when Alianna and Arimi were present.